Secrets, Surprises, and Scandals
by RylanRose
Summary: What would happen if Blair had been pregnant and Serena hadn't stopped her? And months later, with a baby in tow, came back to take what was rightfully hers. And what of the father? Can Blair keep the truth from him or will she ruin it all? After TTLBCAN
1. Chapter 1

"_I'll try to be more succinct. You held a certain fascination when you were beautiful, delicate and untouched. But now you're like one of the Arabians my father used to own: rode hard and put away wet. I don't want you anymore. And I can't see why anyone else would."_

The words echoed through her head as she looked out the window of the small plane. Blair stared down at what had once been her beloved Upper East Side that she used to cherish, but now the mere thought of the place left a rancid taste in her mouth. No matter where she turned she was left with despise for the places that held her oldest memories. The only place left for her to go was France with her father and Roman.

Nate had made it perfectly clear that he was done with her. Serena's stupid offense to Blair's hatred for the blonde's boyfriend had once again put those two best friends against each other. Those that had once followed her willingly had willingly turned their backs on her. Little Jenny Humphrey thinking that she could just take everything Blair had worked so hard to get. And then there was Chuck. As much as she hated to admit it, his rejection had hurt the worst. She thought she had seen a change in him, but sadly, she was very mistaken. He didn't want her, and Blair was left completely alone.

Directing her glance to the inside of the jet, she let out a soft sigh. Blair didn't need them; she could get on with a new life. She may have had an extreme challenge ahead of her, but she was going to welcome it if only to get what she had left behind off her mind. Placing her hand lightly over her stomach, Blair's brown eyes fluttered shut and she sighed, "we will get through this," she whispered, "I promise baby."

Five months into the pregnancy, what was supposed to be the end of her junior year, Blair's cell rang with Serena's name flashing on the screen, but the brunette ignored the call, wanting the only tie between her and her former life to be this baby.

Seven months into the pregnancy, Blair had finally gotten up the courage to get a paternal test; finally finding out if the baby's father was Nate or Chuck. Her heart sank at the news, knowing that she was to be reminded of him every day.

On August 29th, the start of the Upper East Sider's senior year, Blair gave birth to Holly Michelle Waldorf; the brown eyes were as intense as the girl's father's, and Blair couldn't help but let a few tears fall.

By Christmas she was homesick, and after making very careful arrangements, she re-enrolled into Constance Billard for the last half of the semester. Making it home for the New Year, Blair prepared herself for what was to come. She knew that her reappearance would be similar to that of Serena's the year before, but she wasn't going to let her secret get out at all costs. If anyone found out about Holly, she would simply tell them that it was her cousin and she and Eleanor were just watching over her until Harold's sister recovered from the child birth that had nearly taken her life.

Blair could keep secrets better than anyone and it would ruin her completely, especially if Chuck found out. No. She would simply return to her former lie, take back what was hers, and graduate with honors to Yale. She wasn't going to miss out on perfection because of her daughter. Blair was going to get what she wanted.

_Hey there Upper East Sider's, the arrival of a new year brings the arrival of a new semester, new scandals, new couples, new lies, and an especially new surprise. While it's said that tragedy brings us closer, here on the Upper East Side know different: for once upon a time there was a group of friends so revered that they became Manhattan's very own royalty. There was the troublemaking Prince, who would rather womanize than anything else. There was the golden Princess who drew the eye of everyone no matter if she wanted it or not. Then there was the blue eyed King, with a tortured air about him. And then there was his Queen, the royalist bitch of them all. Yet, as history shows, monarchies fall apart and those involved are left broken and bitter. And as the end of the senior year of our once great elites approach, there has been a subjective question throughout the kingdom pertaining to the rise of a new empire. As for my sources, well, rumor has it that there may just be a familiar face to stop Little J.'s coronation. And if the return of our former Queen B. is true, Manhattan has just become a war zone. Can out defeated Queen reclaim her throne, or will the prodigal princess teach her the true meaning of exile? Pick a side or run and hide. I have a feeling this one's to the death. You know you love me,_

_xo xo_

_Gossip Girl_


	2. Chapter 2

Blair slid on one of her heels and a loud crying suddenly distracted her. Groaning, she started for her daughter's nursery for the fourth time that morning. But as she stepped into the room she saw her mom picking up the five month old, gently rocking her.

"Mom, you don't have to do that when I'm here, I told you I can take care of my daughter myself," she said pushing a few curls behind her ears.

"Don't worry about it darling," Eleanor cooed, "and anyway, you are going to be late if you stay here a moment longer," she said nodding towards the clock.

Blair bit back a swear word and quickly rushed over and kissed Holly on the top of the head and kissed her mother's cheek, "I'll be back as soon as I can I promise."

Quickly rushing to get her purse and cell from her room she double checked her appearance, good, it didn't look as if she had changed much, and it definitely didn't look like she had a baby. Before hurrying down to the town car that was waiting for her.

As she settled against the letter seat Blair looked through her texts, noticing the Gossip Girl blast. So much for her surprise return, she thought to herself as her head fell back. Today was going to be a long day; not just because Holly had kept her up most of the night, but because she knew that her return to this was going to be hell, and seeing Chuck…

Chuck at that very moment was adjusting the scarf around his neck as he leaned against his limo. He was tired of waiting for Serena but his father and new step mother had requested it. He had pulled out a joint when his phone vibrated with the Gossip Girl update. Blair was back? Fuck. He had actually felt guilty over what he had said when he found out that she had left the country, but since she didn't return, he figured that he didn't have to try to make any amends, but if she was back…

"Worried about seeing B again Chuck," Serena chided as she walked out and opened the limo door and sliding in.

Glancing up slightly surprised, he shrugged, "why would I be? And if I'm not mistaken, you two got into a fight before she left, so aren't you afraid that she won't want to speak to you," he said getting in after her.

"Yes, but see, unlike you, I'm going to apologize for the things I said, and Blair will probably forgive me because she's going to need a friend. But I doubt she'll forgive you… If anything she is going to try to get back with Nate."

"That's going to please Jenny.""Yeah, I hope Blair knows that Jenny has become as bad as her, if not worse."

"Well if anyone can handle her it's Blair."

"Are you going to help her?"

"What," he said with a pause, "why would I help her?"

"Because I know you Chuck," she said with a smirk as the limo slowed, pulling up to the school gates, "you want to be in her life again."

Jenny walked out of the café with the girls holding onto her no foam latte when their cell phones went off. Penelope, Hazel, Is, and Nelly all pulled out their phones and looked at it.

"Blair's back," Is said in an astounded voice.

Her eyes narrowing, Jenny snatched away the phone and read the blast.

"You have got to be kidding me," the blonde said harshly, "didn't she get it when we dethroned her? Why the hell did she come back?"

"Well if anyone can kick her back out it's you J," Penelope said with a small smirk.

Pausing for a moment, a smirk of her own appeared on Jenny's face, "I can. And I have a perfect idea of how to do it."

"What do you mean," Nelly asked timidly.

"Well, Blair might have been ashamed about being dethroned, but do you really think that just that was enough to make someone as tough as her go running? I think there was a bit more behind it and I want to know what it is."

"So…you're going to do what? Play Nancy Drew," Hazel asked.

"No, I'm going to play nice," Jenny said taking a sip and heading towards the school.

Taking a deep breath Blair looked out of the car's window at everyone congregating around the courtyard. She could see Serena standing off to the side with Dan, Chuck and Nate, obviously having made up standing on the outside, smoking, and Jenny standing with her former friends. The driver got out and opened the door handle, and Blair stepped out, one high heel at a time, feeling her stomach wrench as a hushed silence fell over the students. Everyone was staring, and as quickly as the quiet had come, it was gone with whispers and the sounds of phones going off, signaling the dethroned queen's return. Sucking in a breath she closed the door and started walking towards the courtyard. She could see Serena make a move towards her, but it was Jenny who reached her first, and to everyone's surprise, even her follower's, she engulfed the brunette in a hug.

"Gosh Blair," she gushed in her ear, "you don't know how much we've all missed you," the blonde said as she pulled away.

"Um, that's a bit surprising," Blair said looking away from her for a moment towards everyone else staring in awe, "especially considering the last time I checked, you hated me and decided to tell Nate who I was sleeping with."

"Oh, honey, I am truly sorry about that, I thought he already knew and it just slipped out. I thought Serena had told him, I mean she told me."

"Serena told you," Blair asked, trying to figure out if she was lying or if Serena had been months ago.

"Yeah, I thought that was why you guys were fighting," Jenny said, feigning confusion.

Slowly Blair nodded as Jenny continued, "well, let's get caught up," she said snaking her arms through the brunette's, "I want to hear all about France."

They disappeared into Constance, the group following warily behind.

Serena pulled away from Dan and walked over to Chuck and Nate.

"What the hell was that," she asked, only to see them shrug.

"Whatever it is it can't be good," Chuck answered.

Nate sighed, "well, I'll leave you two be to talk about Waldorf."

He started to walk away, but Serena grabbed onto his arm, "Nate, don't walk away from this. You've forgiven Chuck, it's time you forgive Blair too. We were best friends when we started high school and we need to be best friends when we end it. Now, we need to find out why Blair really left. Was it because of me or one of you? But here is not where we find out, so we go see her after school. So we will cut out early and stop by her penthouse, surprise her, just hang out, maybe cheer her up with Audrey."

Nate and Chuck looked between each other, "um, no offense Serena but we aren't chicks we don't do that sort of thing."

Her eyes narrowed, "you will. I'm sure Eleanor will be out anyway so maybe one of you might just get lucky…or quite possibly both of you."

She let out a laugh as the bell rang and she headed towards the school.

Jenny had exhausted Blair with all of the questions about France, and Blair had told her nothing but fluffy tales of cute French boys. So, when she got into the car to go home she was happy that she was just going to go home and relax with her daughter. She was having withdrawals from her daughter. She wanted nothing more than to just watch Breakfast at Tiffany's with her.

"Mom," Blair called out as she stepped out of the elevator, "I'm home so you can go out and give me my -"

"Cousin," Eleanor interrupted quickly as she came down the stairs carrying Holly.

Blair was confused for a moment, but her mom nodded towards the living room and Blair looked over to see Serena sitting there with, of all people, Chuck and Nate.

"Here, honey you really need to take her because I am going to be late for a meeting," the older woman said as she handed the little girl over and grabbed up her purse, disappearing into the elevator quickly.

Blair stared after her mother, knowing very well she wasn't going to be late, she just didn't want to be around for this. Serena was the first to stand and go over to Blair, "it's so nice that you are helping your Aunt B. I mean, I didn't even know she was pregnant. How is she doing?"

"Um, she's recovering…what are you guys doing here," she said rocking her daughter, "especially you guys," she said looking back towards Chuck and Nate who hadn't moved.

"We just wanted to hang out with you Blair, you left without a good bye to any of us," Serena said looking at her.

"For good reason. I mean, the first blow was harsh, never wanting anything to do with me…then there was the second, weathering the storm alone…and then there was the last one, I believe I was compared to a horse."

The three of them all looked down, "Blair," Serena said quietly, "you hurt us. What did you expect? We were upset, but we want to help you now."

"Well, that's great," the brunette snapped, "but I don't want your help. I was gone for nearly an entire year and I didn't get a word from any of you."

"I called," Serena said softly.

"Well that's great Serena, really, why don't we just be best friends again," she said in a fake voice.

"Hey," Nate said getting up and coming over, "don't attack her like that Blair. We are trying to help you. And so far you're not showing you deserve it."

Holly's face slowly started to twist and she began to whine.

"That's just great Nate, look what you did. You didn't have to raise your voice," she said bouncing her again, but she just kept crying.

With a sigh Chuck got up, "she's not crying because of that, she's probably hungry," he said as he came over and took Holly from her carrying her to the kitchen.

The three of them stared and he looked back, "do you remember the woman my dad married when I was twelve, well she had that baby and I ended up getting stuck taking care of it a lot…I hate kids by the way."

"Then give me Holly back," Blair said going over to him and pulling her out of his hands.

"Sorry, I was just trying to help, looks like she's got the Waldorf looks by the way…"

Rolling her eyes she started for the kitchen, not realizing the curious glance Nate was now giving her daughter.

"Look, can you guys please just go? I'd really appreciate it. I have a lot to catch up with, but maybe we can talk over the weekend or something."

With a sigh the blonde nodded, "all right Blair," she said heading towards the elevator.

Chuck and Nate slowly followed and Blair disappeared into the kitchen.

"You know what, you guys go on without me," Nate said stepping away from the elevator and going towards the kitchen.

Walking in he looked at Blair who had put Holly in a high chair and got some of the baby food out.

"What do you want Nate," she asked in a tired voice.

"I was actually going to ask if I could help with your daughter," he said, watching the can and spoon fall from her hand.

"How did you…"

"Chuck. He said that he's got the Waldorf looks. And he was right, except for one thing…she's got Chuck's eyes."

Blair looked down and bit her lip. Nate moved to grab up the spoon and the food.

"He deserves to know," he said quietly.

"How do I tell him? He told me that he wanted nothing to do with me."

"When Chuck found out that you had left, he came to me, wondering if I had known, or if I knew where you were. He cared, you have to admit that's more than you could probably expect from him. I won't tell him, but you'll have to Blair…you can't hide this from him."

Tears stinging her eyes she nodded and he wrapped his arms around her, "I'm here for you though. I'm here. You don't have to do this alone."

She nodded as she clung to his chest, "thank you Nate," she whispered, taking a deep breath.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day at school Nate picked Blair up and they walked together, much to the amusement of their classmates. By the time they actually stepped onto campus, there were rumors flying that they were a couple again, much to Jenny's aggravation and Chuck's although he hid his far better than the Brooklyn girl.

"She likes you Nate," Blair teased, "she's got a little crush on you."

"Oh come on Blair," he said with a laugh, "she's five months old…"

"She gave you that little half smile and the only other time I've seen her do that was when she saw this season's Christian Louboutin's."

Again Nate laughed, "she is definitely your dau…" but he was cut off from a nudge to the ribs, "…cousin," he said quickly.

"So," Serena said appearing out of no where, "when did you two get so friendly?"

"Last night. Nate stayed around and helped me take care of Holly until my mom got home. It was like old times. Which reminds me, Nate and I are going to take Holly out to the park after school today, what do you say? Want to join us?"

"Um, you and Nate and a baby…thanks but I think I'll pass. I have plans with Dan anyway. Why don't you ask Chuck," she suggested.

"No," Blair said quickly at the same time Nate said, "that's perfect."

Looking between them curiously Serena shook her head, "you two are so weird right now."

They simply laughed and walked through the courtyard going into Constance.

"So, why don't you want Chuck to come with us today," he asked casually.

"I just don't…you figured it out too easily, imagine what he could do in the time it takes to get through the park? Not to mention he hasn't apologized to me for what he said."

"And you actually expect him to? Look, just because you've grown up because of…you know, doesn't mean he has or will. Blair he doesn't even know."

"Are you seriously going to lecture me again Nate," she asked aggravated.

"What would Nathanial have to lecture you about," drawled a familiar voice as he took the other side of Blair at her locker.

"I don't know Blair, what would I lecture you about," Nate said pointedly.

Looking between them Chuck shook his head, "did I miss something?"

"Yes," Blair said blatantly, "but it's really between me and Nate, so don't worry about it Bass."

He sighed at the use of his last name, looking down for a moment. Nate watched his best friend and sighed, thinking back to the phone call he had gotten the moment he left Blair's.

"_Nathanial, man, please don't tell me you're looking to get back with Blair," Chuck said hurriedly when Nate answered the phone._

"_What? No, of course not. That bridge is burned. I was just talking to her about some things."_

"_Was one of them me?"_

"_What is this Chuck? Are you suddenly stalking Blair?"_

_There was a huff on the other end and a few grumbled words, "you know how I feel about her. I told you at my father's wedding remember."_

"_Ah, right, you love her. So what are you going to do to get her? Blair won't be charmed by a few words, especially not if what she told me you said was true."_

"_So you guys did talk about me? How upset is she…"_

"_She's not upset Chuck, she's disappointed. Apparently you made her feel special in ways that I couldn't and I really don't want to know how you did that so please, spare me the details. But then what you said…it was what made her leave I guess. You were the final blow. She had lost all of her friends and then when she thought that she'd have you, you rejected her."_

_There was silence on the other end for a few moments, "help me win her over Nathanial."_

_The desperation in his friend's voice was clear even through the phone and Nate couldn't help but agree, even if he did think it was a bad idea._

Coming back to the present Nate sighed, "so Chuck, we're going to the park after school today. Blair has to watch Holly again and I was going to go with her. What do you say you come with us?"

Blair looked over at Nate with a piercing glare that told him she hated him for bringing it up.

Chuck looked up and peered at Blair, "um, sure, I don't really have anything else to do until later…but I'll go only if Blair wants me to."

Repressing a groan Blair looked at him and forced a smile, "why not? We could invite Jenny and the girls too just make it a party."

Snatching out her books Blair slammed her locker shut and stalked away.

Sighing, Chuck looked over at Nate, "I think I should just go kill myself now… Blair is never going to forgive me."

He paused, his eyes darting towards the floor, "I guess you beat me once again Nathanial," he muttered before starting to walk away.

But Nate's hand shot out to grab his friend's arm, "Chuck, I'm just her friend. All right, so I didn't beat you at anything. You know how Blair is about grudges. Just hang around her, let her get used to the fact that you want to be in her life again, and in time she won't be so hostile."

"You know I've never been one for patience…I'll just have to woo her my own way," he said with a shrug before pulling his arm away and heading off.

Blair sighed as she watched Nate's back disappear out of sight. He had gotten a call from his mother and he had to go run off. Obviously the Archibald family drama was one thing that never changed. Slipping Holly back into the stroller that they had brought her in, she turned around to head out the way they had come. Only to find Chuck standing there. With a groan she closed her eyes, "what do you want Bass? I'm cold and I'm tired, I just want to go home, so whatever you have to say, say it fast."

"I was invited…remember," he drawled, a soft smirk on his face as he walked over to stand beside her, "I knew you had the kid, and I needed a joint…sorry it took so long."

"Well, how considerate of you. But if you haven't noticed, Nate isn't here and I want to go home, so you can just scamper off to find a new whore to play with."

"What if I'm looking for one my previous ones," he shot, raising his eyebrows at her, not truly thinking about the words until the moment they had come out.

For a second, it seemed as if Blair was going to explode, but she bit her lip, repressing her retort, causing Chuck to stare at her in total shock. He had expected a witty comeback or even a slap to the face, but nothing…

"If you'll excuse me," she said rather coldly, "I need to take Holly home and feed her."

Chuck, desperate to find a way to redeem himself for the harsh words quickly fell into step beside her, "well, let me walk you home."

"I learned to walk when I was a baby Bass, I know you can be a bit brain dead at times, but mine still functions perfectly. I can walk myself," the brunette snapped at him.

Pausing, Chuck watched her walked in the direction of her penthouse, "and she's back," he muttered to himself as he stared at her hips, wondering if for a moment that they had just slightly fuller, but shaking his head he took a few jogging steps to catch up to her.

"Well, then maybe you can enlighten me if I forget how to walk," he said with a small smirk, "just in case I forget."

Her brown eyes flickered towards him, and she couldn't help but let a hint of a grin dance across her lips for a fleeting second.

"Look Bass," Blair said as she pulled off her coat and picked Holly up and into her arms, "thanks for the company, but you didn't have to walk up to my penthouse."

He shrugged, "it was nothing; I don't really have anything to do and I thought since you were getting so chummy with Nate that there might be some room for me on Blair's nice list again."

Raising her eyebrows in amusement, she shook her head, "you were never on the nice list Chuck," Blair said, noticing for a moment how his expression seemed to falter, "but you are at the top of my naughty list."

At those words, there was a small glint of happiness in his eyes which caused Blair to pause and wonder if she should have said that, but there was no taking it back.

As they stood there, there was a long moment of awkward silence, neither of them really knowing what to say to the other. All the while Holly's little arms were reaching out, her tiny hands grabbing at the air in the direction of Chuck. With a sigh, Blair shifted her daughter and looked over her shoulder.

"Well, I should probably get to feeding her," she started to say, not looking back at him.

There was a sound for a moment, sounding vaguely like words so she looked back at Chuck, "what did you say," she asked.

His eyes were locked on Holly and it took him a bit to realize that she was talking to him.

"That wasn't me," Chuck responded, shaking his head, "that was her," he said, his finger pointing towards the little girl.

"That's ridiculous," Blair huffed, "Holly can't speak yet."

But the little girl looked towards the curly haired brunette, one hand in her mouth for a moment as she stared up at her mother with wide eyes. Turning her head once more towards Chuck, Holly's own tiny curls bouncing, took a slobbery hand out of her mouth and pointed it at Chuck, "dada."


	4. Chapter 4

If there was ever a point in his life where Chuck felt that a drink was something that he would die without, it would be this one. A small, salivated-on finger was pointing at him and had repeated the word that she had said earlier. But why was she looking at him? Weren't babies supposed to call their daddy's "dada?" He was fairly certain that this wasn't his child.

But at that thought he had to stop. Before Blair had fled to Paris, the rumor had floated around that she was pregnant. Yet, she had squashed that sooner than a freshman girl wearing last years Jimmy Choo's. There was this nagging feeling in the back of his head that told him that maybe there was a bigger reason that Blair was M.I.A. for a while, but he pushed the idea aside.

Swallowing he looked up at the brunette, "um, I should be going. I uh, I have to," he stuttered.

Blair watched him, almost feeling her heart break, because she knew that Chuck never fumbled this much with his words and the only thing that she could think of that would make him do it now would be the terrifying possibility that Holly could be his daughter.

"Of course," she said, starting to bounce the little girl so that her attention would be drawn away from Chuck.

And no sooner had she forced a goodbye grimace of a smile he was back in the elevator and headed down. Taking a few deep breaths, the girl tried to compose herself as she went and fed her daughter as quickly as she could before taking Holly upstairs and tucking her in for the night. As badly as she wanted to call Nate and tell him what happened, she needed someone else, she needed someone that knew her better than anyone. She needed Serena.

The two best friends were seated on her bed, the brunette looking down at her hands guiltily and the blonde staring at her as if she were an alien from outer space. Hearing her take a collective breath, Blair looked up as Serena started to speak, "so, let me get this straight; you really were pregnant, but lied to me, and everyone else, and claimed that you took off to Paris to start a new life and to escape the fact that Chuck basically called you a whore, when really it was so that you could have your daughter and not have to deal with the scandal of Gossip Girl?"

Blair simply nodded.

The blonde frowned, deep in thought.

And when Serena finally spoke again she broke out into a teasing grin, "and you waited this long to tell me that Holly is my goddaughter?"

The brunette broke into a smile of relief and let a comfortable laugh fall from her lips before the two girls embraced in a slightly awkward, but yet, long delayed hug. And when they broke away, Blair bit her lip, "that's not exactly why I called you over here though."

"Wait…then why?"

"Well, Holly said her first word," she responded, earning a small squeal from her best friend, "but there's a catch…" she continued, before spilling out all of the details of the evening.

Across town, Chuck, who had been in his limo since the moment that he had left Blair's had gone through several of the tiny bottles of scotch that were conveniently tucked away inside. Normally the leather of the seats comforted him, the memories of what had happened over a year ago, but tonight, they were unsettling. Everything was unsettling. With a sigh, he tugged his phone from his pocket and pressed the fifth speed dial on his phone.

"Alex," he said when the voice on the other end answer, "I need you to look into something for me; I need you to find me anything you can on Blair Waldorf's time in Paris. I want to know everything; down to what she had for breakfast on her birthday," he said sternly.

Days passed. Blair didn't talk to Chuck. She caught glimpses of him at school, but between her time with Serena and Nate and Holly, she rarely was able to think about him. Not to mention, Jenny was continuing with her façade of wanting to be friends with the former Queen Bee. In fact, the blonde had managed to convince Blair to go to her party on Saturday night. It would be Blair's first party back on the Upper East Side and as much as she hated pawning her daughter off on her mother for the night, especially since Holly had contracted a small flu bug, but people would start to get suspicious if she didn't start trying to take her title back.

So, Saturday night came, and with Serena and Nate beside her, she headed to the party. Every drink that was offered was turned down, since she had never really gotten back into the habit after being off of it for so long during the pregnancy. She danced with Nate and Serena and even spent time gossiping with her own minions. The night seemed almost too perfect…

He couldn't even bring himself to bring the glass to his lips. Chuck's eyes were still glued to the manila folder in front of him, reading the three words over and over again. There was no way. It couldn't possibly be true. But his P.I. had dropped this off hours ago when he had been getting ready for the party. He had even called the hospital in France to confirm it. The paper wasn't lying.

**Full Name: **HollySabrina Waldorf-Bass

**Date of Birth: **August 27th 2008

**Mother: **Blair Cornelia Waldorf

**Father: **Charles Bartholomew Bass

It was well into the night, and Blair couldn't recall the last time she had this much fun. It was almost as if she was back to being Queen and it was just another night out with her friends. But there was something missing. And she wasn't sure why, but a part of her was disappointed that Chuck hadn't shown up. Yet, she knew that she couldn't let it show because she knew how closely both Serena and Nate were watching her…but no one more so than Jenny. The blonde had rarely let her eyes wander from the brunette the whole night, as if staring at her would make the answers magically appear.

The three best friends were currently stationed at the bar, and only two of them had drinks, when Blair's phone went off. Digging it from her purse, Blair stared at it curiously for a moment, "it's my mom," she told them, a look of worry instantly crossing over her face before she answered it.

Nate and Serena started anxiously at her, both wondering what the call was about and each growing more nervous as they saw Blair's expressions continuously change before promptly hanging up and standing.

"It's Holly," was all she said before taking off with them close in pursuit, leaving behind a very confused Jenny Humphrey.

Chuck had just mustered up the courage to go to the party to confront Blair when his cell phone rang.

"Mr. Bass," Alex said on the other end when he answered, "you told me that you wanted to be kept up to date on all the going-on's of Miss Waldorf. Well, her daughter was just admitted to the hospital."

This private investigator didn't even get a chance to say goodbye when he heard the dial tone on the other end, for Chuck had hung up quickly, dialed his chauffeur and insisted that he get to the hospital as soon as he possibly could.

**My oh my, it seems that distance does make the heart grow fonder for while our dear B. had departed it tested the bonds of her friendship which seem to be stronger than ever. And just when I thought she was going to make her big come back at Little J.'s party, she disappeared faster than the dresses at Bendel's during a sale. Something tells me that we're missing a part of this story, and I'm dying to find out what it is. But the biggest question I have now is: who in the world is Holly?**

**You Know You Love Me,**

**XoXo**

**Gossip Girl**


	5. Chapter 5

The sound of hurried high heels echoed in the hallways of the hospital as Blair rushed to the room that the woman at the front desk had told her. Serena and Nate had to stay behind because actual visiting hours were over unless it was immediate family. As she neared the room, Blair saw her mother step out and she rushed even faster.

"Mom, what is it what happened," she asked frantically.

Eleanor reached out, placing her hands on her daughters arms comfortingly, "the doctors said it was just dehydration from her being sick. They've stabilized her and said that she'll be out of here in three days tops."

Blair took a few deep breaths, blinking quick tears from her eyes as she nodded, "I'm going to go in and see her," she said, stepping away from her mother.

"Honey-," the elder woman started, but Blair had already pushed the door to the room open, and the sight that greeted her was one that she did not expect.

Not only was her daughter curled up in a hospital bed with beeping monitors surrounding her, but there was Chuck Bass sitting in one of the two seats beside it. His hands were to his mouth, and his forehead was wrinkled in two rough lines as if he was deep in thought. The way he looked at Holly, Blair knew that he knew exactly who the little girl was; there was no denying it now. Taking another deep breath, the brunette took the few short strides to the other chair and slowly dropped down into it.

He didn't look at her, and Blair was certain that it was because Chuck couldn't look at her. Yet, if she were in his place, she wouldn't want to look at him either.

"I didn't know how to tell you," she said quietly, breaking the silence between them.

Chuck didn't respond.

She continued, hoping that she could explain without conflict, "after what happened, I just, I couldn't deal. I needed to find a way to get my life back on track."

"And what about my life," Chuck said, finally speaking, an ice cold tone in his voice.

"Your life seemed perfectly fine without me in it; the last thing I wanted to do was give you another reason to hate me," Blair shot back just as coldly.

He stood and took a few short steps over to her, "and you think that telling me the truth about your…our daughter would have made me hate you? Blair I never hated you; my pride was hurt because you decided to choose me as your last resort."

"And you wanted me to tell you that you were going to be a father after all of those things you said to me?!"

"Blair I would have wanted you to tell me at any given time that it crossed your mind! I get that I may not be the ideal person to have a baby with but you…you should have thought better of me."

She shook her head, her eyes brimming with tears, but she was not going to let a single one of them fall.

"And what would you have done Chuck," she asked, her voice breaking slightly, "would you have played my knight in shining armor? Or would you have headed for the hills? Because I know that was exactly what I wanted to do when I find out, but I couldn't run from it! Because that right there," she said pointing towards their daughter still sleeping in the hospital bed, "that is something I can never run away from! She is a part of me, and without me, she has nothing. Holly had to become my world and I had to forget about myself. Could you have done the same?"

That last question brought a stunning silence in the room and Chuck looked down. He didn't know what to say to that because he couldn't say that he would have just dropped everything for Blair and the baby, especially not at that point in their wacked out relationship.

"I'm here now," he said quietly, retreating back into the seat that he had been in as a show that he wasn't planning on going anywhere.

With a sigh, Blair slowly moved to take the seat next to him, shaking her exhausted curls from side to side, "I'm not sure that's enough," she said quietly.

By two in the morning, neither of them had spoken to the other and Blair had fallen asleep. Seeing this, Chuck finally got up and requested a blanket from a nurse. He took it back and laid it over the brunette's sleeping form and stood there and watched her for a few moments before turning to his daughter lying on the hospital bed. He reached down and stroked her head lightly, finding it rather surreal that this was his daughter lying on the bed.

Suddenly there was the sound of the door opening and Chuck looked up, expecting to see a doctor, but instead it was Blair's mother.

"Come with me Charles," Eleanor said softly.

She took him up to the Waldorf penthouse and up to Blair's room.

"Blair doesn't think I know about these, but I knew about them the moment her father found out she wasn't sending them," Eleanor said going over to her daughter's closet.

Flipping on the light, she walked in and reached up to the top shelf and pulled down a box and brought it out and set it on top of the bed.

"You know Blair," she said softly, "she's always the classic romantic."

There was another pause of silence before Blair's mother headed for the door, leaving Chuck alone in the room. Slightly confused, he went over to the box and pulled the top of it. It was nearly filled with envelopes, and each and every one of them was addressed to him. Slowly taking the first one he opened it and pulled the letter out:

_Bass, It's August 27__th__, well actually, it's August 28__th__, it's just after midnight, and somewhere in this Parisian hospital lies a beautiful little baby girl who looks exactly like me except for one thing, her eyes, she has your eyes. My mother flew in yesterday, and my father and Roman were here, but I asked them to leave me alone for a while, so I decided to write you this letter. It's the morning after August 27__th__, and four hours ago, I gave birth to our daughter: Holly Sabrina Waldorf-Bass, I wish you could have been here to see her. Waldorf._

Reading that letter was all it took for Chuck and he soon began to read every other letter in the box. There were so many that he was reading well passed dawn, continuously wondering why Blair had never sent them.

Meanwhile, Blair had woken up in the hospital, nice and warm beside her daughter, but there wasn't a trace of Chuck. It was like he hadn't even been there. Typical.

**Author's Note: I know it's short, and I truly apologize, but I wanted to get you the next chapter after such a long hiatus. Which I apologize for also.**


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